On October 6th, 1973, the Jewish state of Israel was attacked by the coordinated forces of Egypt and Syria, with an additional nine Arab states actively supporting the actions of Egypt and Syria. The launch of the attack came on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, which the war later became known as.

The Israelis faced overwhelming numbers; in the Golan Heights the Israeli Defense Forces numbered less than two hundred tanks, and yet they faced nearly 1,400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez nearly 80,000 Egyptian troops attacked IDF troop concentrations that numbered not in the tens of thousand, not even in the thousands, but rather in the hundreds.

Yet against these odds the IDF not only repulsed the Arab onslaught, but took the fight outside their borders and into Egypt and Syria. In response the Soviet Union began to openly resupply these states, and in turn the United States was forced to resupply Israel. What could have very well turned into World War III though ended on October 22nd, with Resolution 338 of the UN Security Council, calling for an immediate end of hostilities.

The Star and the Crescent, from developer ProSIM and designer PanClan Game Design, allows gamers to refight key battles of the Yom Kippur War, using an enhanced version of the ATF engine. In addition to the Yom Kippur War, The Star and the Crescent features battles from '56, '67, and January of '73, along with two future hypothetical battles set in 2009.

Just as each new title in the ATF series builds upon its predecessors, so does The Star and the Crescent. Featuring the most detailed battlefield maps you'll ever play on in a commercial wargame (taken directly from Soviet-era real-world maps of the area), intense close air support interaction and fully realized air defense networks, superbly detailed combat down to the individual vehicle, The Star and the Crescent is a very impressive recreation of the conflicts fought in the Mid-East in the past few decades.

Of course everything you've come to expect from an ATF title is still present. You can play against the highly challenging AI opponent, create your own scenarios, and play against other live opponents. Gameplay remains a tense, edge-of-your-seat real time experience, with ultra-detailed real world weapon platforms, intense damage and training modeling, and deep, rich scenarios. In short, the ultimate real time simulation of modern combat.

The Star and the Crescent, another masterpiece in the only computer wargame series that's so realistic we should probably include a helmet and flak jacket with each copy.

FEATURES:

- The ultimate commercial level real-time simulation of the modern battlefield. Based on the ATF: Armored Task Force engine, which itself is featured in both Department of Defense and Lockheed-Martin simulations.

- Real-time gameplay recreates the intensity of the battlefield, without sacrificing realism.

- Uses all the previous advancements to the ATF engine, found in Raging Tiger: Second Korean War, and The Falklands War: 1982.< span>

- A tanker's dream. The Arab-Israeli conflicts were known for their heavy use of tanks, and with The Star and the Crescent the main battle tank is once again king of the battle.

- Fully modeled close air support and air defense. Airpower used in the right time and place can turn the tide of any battle. Make sure to protect your forces with the extensive array of air defense options available.

- Multiple radar types, from airborne to shipborne, take part in the action.

- Play on real topographical maps of the conflict regions. Based on Soviet-era maps, these are highly detailed and can either be used as an enhanced color version of the map or as the actual military map.

- Individual buildings and other structures, such as bunkers, can be present on a map. These individual structures are full entities, blocking LOS, movement, and providing defensive benefits.

- The bursting direct fire munitions model, such as air dropped bombs and direct lay mortars, has been redone for greater effect.

- Fifteen total scenarios, ranging from pre-Yom Kippur War battles, to the Yom Kippur War (the highlight of the game), to future hypothetical conflicts. While the focus is on the player controlling the IDF certain scenarios allow either the Arab or Israeli side to be controlled.

- Highly informative database of weapon platforms found in the game, with full statistics.

- Thick, easily readable manual.

- Play against the AI, or other human opponents.

- Create your own scenarios or modify the included ones.

- Excellent community support, including online how-to guides and new scenarios.